Teddy
by Aussiegladiator
Summary: 15 years after Fitz leaves office, and they are miles apart. But Teddy has some questions...
1. Chapter 1

15 Years Later

Olivia was at her home in Vermont when there was a knock at her door, which was curious, because she had Huck at the gate to field anyone who came to visit and he always notified her before they even arrived. She thought perhaps it was Huck himself. She walked to the door and opened the door. She was met with the face of a young man, unfamiliar to her.

"Can I help you?" She asked confused. The young man looked past her into the house briefly before making eye contact.

"I used to live here, I wanted to drop by and see how it was going." He spoke.

"Oh. I'm sorry, how did you get past my security?" She asked, as she knew Huck wouldn't have let someone she didn't know up.

"You security guy recognised me. But I assume you don't?" The young man spoke.

"Sorry, no. Should I?" She asked, feeling like she was missing something.

"My name is Theodore Grant." He said. Olivia gasped and covered her mouth.

"Teddy?" She said in surprise, finally seeing the resemblance.

"I go by Theo now, but yes." He smiled.

"Would you look at you." Olivia said as she smiled and tilted her head to one side. "Would you like to come in?" She asked and moved aside for him to enter. She closed the door behind him.

"Can I get you a tea or coffee or anything?" She asked.

"Sure." He shrugged and followed Olivia into the kitchen.

"So how have you been, what have you been up to. I cannot believe how long it has been since I saw you last." Olivia spoke as she began moving around the kitchen to make the beverages.

"I have been pretty good. I'm currently studying at the University of Florida, engineering."

"Wow. I love that you are not doing poli-sci." She said genuinely before asking for his drink preference and made the drinks. She handed him his drink and directed him to the closest sitting area.

"Are you enjoying engineering?" Olivia asked.

"Very much so." Teddy said before sipping his drink. He then placed it on the table next to his seat and looked around.

"I like what you did with the place."

"I didn't realise your Dad had brought you up here." Olivia said after sipping her own drink. She saw Teddy frown.

"We lived here until I was 10." Teddy said. Olivia had no idea and honestly didn't know how she felt about that.

"I didn't know." She said looking down.

Teddy could see the pain wash over her face and was worried that his trip would be in vain.

"Liv, I'm sorry if I upset you." Teddy said softly.

"Don't be silly. It's really nice to see you, although I am wondering a little 'why now'?" She confessed.

Teddy sighed and took a sip of his drink before speaking again. "Well, I have a few questions that I thought you might be able to help answer for me."

"What kind of questions?" She asked curiously.

"Like what happened between you and Dad?" He said frowning, nervous to see her reaction.

"Oh. And you can't ask your Dad?" And for a fleeting moment she wondered if something serious had happened to him, that she wasn't aware of. "He isn't dead is he?" She couldn't avoid those words coming out of her mouth.

"No, he's fine. Well fine is all relative." He paused. "He is in good physical health at home in Florida." He saw relief on Olivia's face. "I have tried to ask Dad, but he doesn't like to talk about it, and Mum says it isn't her business to tell."

"And why, now, do you have these questions?" Olivia asked.

"Until recently I had been happy to go with the public perception of what happened, because I wasn't there, or I was too little to understand. But I feel like the truth is so significant to who I am as a person that it is negligible to not know the truth." He said and Olivia thought it was a good answer.

"What do you want to ask?" She asked.

"When did the two of you meet? When did you start to have feelings for one another?" He asked.

"We met on your Dad's first campaign for President. Cyrus pulled in a favour and asked me to be your Dad's campaign fixer." She said with a smile, before it fell slightly. "There were feelings from the day we met."

"So it was love at first sight?" Teddy asked beaming.

"Whatever it was, it was there from the beginning, yes. Your Dad tried to fire me because of it."

"Why?" Teddy asked.

"Because it was scary. I felt the same. It wasn't anything I had ever felt before. And we tried to not to act on it, because we knew it was wrong, but it never felt wrong when it was just the two of us." She shared. Teddy didn't respond straight away.

"So when did you start sleeping together?" Teddy asked and Olivia was surprised by how genuine the question was. There was no hidden disgust.

"On the campaign."

"So you were together until Mom ran for president?" Teddy asked.

"Not at all. Our relationship was very 'on again, off again'."

"Why?"

"I think it was because I was always so terrified of my feelings, whereas your Dad was so certain of his. He was so ready to give everything up to be with me, but I was so terrified of what that would mean, that I wouldn't let him."

"So what went wrong?" Teddy asked confused.

"A lot of things happened in those 8 years, and it all just became to much."

"Like what?" Theo asked. If it was almost anyone else, she would have refused the details, but not him.

"I ran away with someone else after your brother died, then after that I was kidnapped. When we finally came out publically as a couple I was raked over the coals and that on top of my PTSD just put a lot of strain on us. We had a fight and said some awful things to one another, things that can't be taken back, and that was it."

"It doesn't sound like you tried very hard."

"I'll agree that it doesn't. But I pushed your Dad too far. He was always the one who fought for us, so when he stopped that was it." She paused. "But I don't blame him. I just hope he is happy."

"I think he is. He and Cassie have been together for about 4 years now."

"Wow, that's great. He has managed to keep that under wraps." Olivia commented light heartedly.

"He tried to fall off the radar when we moved up here. He would wear contact lenses and grew a beard to try to avoid people recognizing him. He goes by Thomas now too."

"So you moved up here after your Mum won the election. How long were you here?" She asked.

"Five years. Then we moved down to Florida, been there ever since."

"House right on the beach?" Olivia asked. Theo nodded.

"Dog named Eisenhower too?" She joked. Theo didn't laugh.

"How did you know?" He asked. Olivia's smile dropped a little.

"We talked about it once or twice." She said. "How's Karen?" She asked changing the subject.

"Good. She is living in London with her boyfriend Aaron. He is a nice guy. She is working at the National Portrait Gallery in London."

"Wow. That's great to hear." Olivia said genuinely.


	2. Chapter 2

Jerry arrived home at around 6pm after his flight home. He pulled up into the driveway and put his bag on his back and walked inside. His Dad and Cassie were in the kitchen making dinner.

"Hey Theo. How was New York?" His Dad asked as he washed the lettuce. Cassie greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"I didn't go to New York." Theo said honestly. His Dad frowned and looked at him.

"Where did you go then?" He asked.

"To Vermont, to see Olivia Pope." He said honestly. There was a loud clang of pots and pans from the cupboard that Cassie was crouching down to retrieve something from.

"Oh." Fitz said. "How is she?" He asked.

"Good."

"Good to hear. Hey Cass, can you get the peri peri sauce please." He asked and didn't probe Theo any more. Theo sat and watched while they prepared the rest of the dinner and they ate together pleasantly. Theo washed up when dinner was over.

As he was washing he wondered whether it was the right thing or not to tell him that he had visited Olivia. His reaction had been almost non-existent really, but after what Olivia had told him, he felt like there was no way it could be that simple. He really did go up to get answers from Olivia, but her answers made him want to know his Dad's side of the story.

Whatever he decided, he would leave it at least until tomorrow. So once he had finished cleaning the kitchen, he said goodnight to his Dad and Cassie who were sitting on the couch and headed to his room.

"So do you want to talk about it?" Cassie asked, sitting up to make eye contact with Fitz.

"Not particularly." Fitz said not looking away from the television.

"You won't hurt my feelings." Cassie said. Fitz wanted to, but refrained from saying 'No, but it will certainly hurt mine'. But it was past that point anyways. Just hearing she was in Vermont hurt. She was where they had talk about having a life together, what on earth would she be doing there he wondered.

"I just don't want to talk about it Cass." He said getting up and walking to his office.

His office was more of a library. All four walls were coved with books all the way to the ceiling. His desk was smack bang in the middle. It had on it a picture Jerry, one of Karen and Theo together, and another of himself and Cassie. It also had a clock and a lamp, but that was all. Simple.

He fell down into his chair and put his feet on the desk and his hands behind his head. He let his mind wander. He allowed it to wander father that he would have wanted, as when he next looked at the clock an hour had passed.

His eyes wandered across the room and landed on a particular book that he had not looked at since he moved into this house. He didn't even know why he kept it honestly. It was his Christmas present to Olivia the year they split up for the last time. It was a first edition of Anna Karenina. He had written in the front cover, rendering it worthless, which is why he hadn't disposed of it (or that's what he was telling himself).

He had placed the book high on the shelf, amongst the books he didn't read. Without noticing he was reaching for his ladder and retrieving the book from its spot on the shelf.

He ran his hand over the spine, removing the dust that had accumulated, making the title clear. He sat in his chair and slowly lifted the front cover. On the blank page next to the title page was inscribed

 _They've got no idea what happiness is, they don't know that without this love there is no happiness or unhappiness for us-there is no life._

 _Merry Christmas my Livvie._

 _Love Fitz_

Tears involuntarily formed in his eyes as he read those words. He could remember the day he wrote them too. A familiar ache returned to his chest as he realised that he had in fact lost the love that Tolstoy was referring to. There is no life.

"Tom?" Cassie said with a light knock on the door.

It took him a few seconds to register that she was calling for him. He hadn't been 'Fitz' for 10 years, not even Mellie called him that anymore, but as his thoughts went to her, he became Fitz once more.

"Tom. Are you ok?" Cassie asked again.

"I'm fine Cass. Just replying to some emails." He said once he had cleared his throat.

"Ok. Come to bed soon." She pleaded with him slightly.

"Yeah, I won't be long." He said and he heard Cassie walk down the hall.

He couldn't bring himself to go to bed though, he didn't want to go and lay next to Cassie when he couldn't stop thinking about Olivia. He sat in his office for another half an hour before he decided to go for a walk along the beach. Eisenhower bounded after him with a bark.

Upstairs Theo was studying and heard Eisenhower bark so he looked out the window to see his Dad walking towards the beach. He saw him sit down on the dunes. He hadn't meant to make his Dad upset, he just wanted some answers.

Fitz sat out on the beach for hours, until he saw the light blue begin to creep into the dark blue of the night. He went up to his bedroom, where Cassie was asleep, and he went straight to the shower.


	3. Chapter 3

For a week Fitz was distant. Theo wanted to talk to his dad about Olivia but it was obvious that he was in no mood to chat. He kept making excused to avoid going to bed with Cassie, but by the end of the week she decided to approach him about it.

She found him in his office late at night. "Fitz." She said as she knocked before she entered.

"What's up?" Fitz asked as she entered.

"Come to bed." Was all she said. "You need sleep. I can see the bags under your eyes, when was the last time you slept." She said as she approached and walked around his desk resting on it.

"About a week." He said avoiding eye contact.

"Since Theo visited Olivia Pope." Cassie stated. Fitz slowly made eye contact.

"I'm not silly. I have given you a week to come to me, so now I'm coming to you."

"I'm sorry Cass." Fitz said grabbing both her hands in his.

"You don't have to be sorry, just talk to me." She said. He smiled at her weekly.

"I can't stop thinking about her, and I don't feel right coming and laying next to you in bed when I can't stop thinking about _her_. I'm sorry." He said genuinely.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"How things ended mostly. Where it went so wrong. What she is doing now."

"Theo might know the answer to the last one. I think he wants to talk to you about it, I mean, he had questions for Olivia, I'm sure he has questions for you too."

"Why didn't he come to me first, is another thing I have been wondering."

"He probably didn't want to upset you."

"Then why tell me?" He asked.

"Because you're his Dad and he wants to know your side of the story." She said. He didn't respond. "Come to bed please. You need sleep." She pulled on his arm and he slowly rose from his chair and followed her to bed.

XXXX

"Did you get any sleep?" Cassie said as she rolled over in the morning. Although what she saw gave her an answer. He hadn't. She placed her hands on the side of his face.

"I think you should talk to Theo." Cassie said.

"I'll try." Fitz said with a weak smile.

"Ok Good." She kissed his lips gently. "Now, I have to get up for work. You still up for the dinner on Saturday?" She said as she moved out of bed.

"Yeah." He said trying to muster as much enthusiasm as possible.

"I am excited to get a chance to dance with you. We havn't danced in a while." Cassie said looking back at Fitz with a broad smile before moving into the bathroom. Fitz lay on his back and looked at the roof a little while longer, until he heard the shower turn off and knew Cassie would be out shortly. He went downstairs to make some coffee and breakfast.

Cassie came down twenty minutes later dressed for work. Fitz had her toast ready and her coffee in her favourite travel mug. She smiled on approach and kissed Fitz once again before she headed out the door. She stopped just before the door and turned around.

"Talk to Theo." She said and left without waiting for a response.

Fitz retrieved his ipad from his office to read the newspapers at the breakfast bar. It was maybe 40 minutes later that Theo came down.

"Morning." Fitz said as Theo walked in.

"Hey Dad." Theo said as he opened the fridge to retrieve the orange juice. He opened the bottle and went to raise it to his mouth.

"Glass please." Fitz said and Theo lowered the juice from his mouth. He smirked at his Dad before retrieving a glass and pouring the juice.

"What are your plans for today?" Fitz asked Theo.

"I as going to go for a run up the hill, then brunch with Michelle, then to the library to study."

"Would you consider making that run a hike, and making that brunch with me instead of Michelle?" Fitz asked.

"Ummm, sure. Everything ok?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, I just think we are way overdue for a chat." Fitz said.

"Okaaaay." Theo dragged out.

"Great, so I'll meet you out the front in 20 minutes. That enough time?" Fitz asked.

"Make it 30." Theo countered.

XXXX

Theo met his Dad at the front door 30 minutes later.

"Ready?" Fitz asked Theo. With his confirmation they headed out.

They made idle chit chat as they walked up the bush track that lead up the hill to their favourite lookout. Fitz was trying to figure out how to bring up the topic that he really wanted to discuss.

When they reached the summit Fitz decided to bite the bullet.

"So I wanted to talk to you about Olivia Pope." Theo began.

"Me too." Fitz said with a small smile. "So lets start with, why did you go see her?"

"I had some questions." Theo said.

"That you didn't feel you could ask me?" Fitz said trying to remove any hurt from his voice.

"Considering your reaction to me going to see her, no." He paused. "Years ago, I remember asking you questions and you would avoid them, so I stopped asking. I asked Karen and Mum, but they both told me it wasn't their story to tell." Theo said.

"I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't talk to me. What was it that you wanted to know?" Fitz asked.

"I just wanted to know what happened between you two. You divorced Mum, then only a few months later Olivia leaves too. Not to mention that she is now living in the house we pretty much ran away to."

"What did Olivia say?" Fitz asked.

"Oh no, no, no. I want your side, then I will tell you hers." Theo said crossing his arms.

Fitz sighed before he began "Liv and I met on my campaign, she embarrassed me in front of the whole crew, but I couldn't help but falling in love with her. We tried so hard to stay away from each other, but the pull was too strong."

"So what happened?" Theo asked confused when Fitz didn't continue.

"She was scared and I was weak." Fitz shrugged.

"I don't understand." Theo pressed not receiving the responses he was hoping for.

"Olivia wasn't very good at communicating and sometimes I think I overcompensated. I wanted her to be my first lady and told her as much. I built her that house, I moved her in to the White House without even asking."

"Which house?" Theo asked.

"The house in Vermont. I built that for us, it is in both our names. I wanted us to have a family."

"Wow. I didn't realise. That would explain why she was there." Theo paused.

"What did she say happened?" Fitz asked curiously.

"Actually, your stories were very similar. For two people who couldn't communicate well, it seems you communicated enough to understand what was going wrong, but not to stop it." Theo said emotion coming up in his voice. Fitz was a little supraised by that emotion.

"I didn't realise this was so important to you."

"I just…feel like I don't know you at all." Theo said. "I have watched video's of the two of you, I have heard you both talk about each other, and I can't believe that you would just give up like that." Theo said.

"It wasn't easy I assure you. We fought all the time, we fought and made up _all_ the time and it was exhausting. Eventually we were just to exhausted to fight anymore. It wasn't what I wanted, I don't think it was really what either of us wanted, but it is how it turned out."

"So you just stopped loving her?" Theo said raising his voice slightly.

"No, I never stopped loving her. I will never stop loving her." Fitz started strongly before hesitating.

"Then what about Cassie?"

"I love Cassie."

"But…"

"Olivia is my soul mate."

"Then why are we here. Why are you here in Florida, when you should be in Vermont, in the house you built for your life together."

"She…" He said loudly before reconsidering what to say "didn't want that life."

"How do you know that? She is in the house you built right now. What else do you need?"

"Theo, I don't understand. You want me to break up with Cassie and get back with Olivia?" Fitz asked extremely confused.

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know." Theo ran his hand through his hair, just like his dad does. "I just am trying to understand. When I saw the videos and the photos I could not believe how happy you looked."

Fitz said nothing. He felt he had nothing additional to say.

"I'm sorry Theo. I didn't realise how much this affected you."

"It affects you, therefore it affects me. And I didn't know just how much it affected you until right now."

"It has been 15 years. I have moved on Theo."

"I might have believed you if you didn't spend the last week shut out from the rest of the world, unable to sleep."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Neither do I. I wanted answers, but all I got was more questions."

And the pair were silent for about five minutes before Fitz spoke. "Why don't you call Michelle and re-instate your plans for brunch."

"Dad."

"We can discuss this more when you are ready. I am happy to answer any questions you have." Fitz said before he turned and headed towards the path that lead back down the hill. Theo followed.

Later that afternoon when Cassie arrived home the first things she asked was "Did you speak to Theo?"

"Yes." Fitz replied.

"Well?" She pressed.

"Honestly, I think it made things worse." Fitz said running a hand through his hair.

"How?" Cassie asked confused.

"He said he doesn't feel like he knows me at all because I kept it from him." Fitz said, which was only part true. "I don't think I should talk to him about it again."

"Why not?" Cassie asked.

"We both got angry."

"Which is exactly the reason you need to talk about it again, because clearly it is important to both of you. Now, what's for dinner?" Cassie asked changing the topic, for which Fitz was grateful.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the Saturday of the dinner, which was for Cassie's brothers who was running for Governor in a year. Tonight was his first big event. While it was a political event, Fitz knew it would be strange if he didn't go, considering he knew Cassie's brother pretty well.

He had managed a little sleep since talking to Teddy, a few hours a night, so he was still exhausted, but he put on a suit, put in his contacts, and tried to tame his hair. He was in the middle of combing his hair when Cassie entered the room dressed in a beautiful peach coloured dress. Fitz' jaw dropped and Cassie smiled as she walked over to him and pushed his chin up to close his mouth.

"You look beautiful." Fitz said in awe.

"Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself. You know I love the green eyes." She said straightening his tie. She then grabbed his left hand to read his watch. "We should go."

They arrived at the event early, as Cassie wanted to be as supportive as possible, for which Fitz was glad, as it meant he could say hello to Cassie's brother Cameron before staying discreet for the remainder of the night, maybe catching a dance or two with Cassie.

It was not long after that Fitz began to feel a little uneasy. A feeling of dread began to creep in. He would scan the crowd for anything that might look out of place, having learnt ques from the secret service. He couldn't figure out what it was until Cameron got on stage for his speech.

He thanked everyone for their support, and told them he would do them proud. He talked about maybe making the White House one day, which Fitz silently snickered at, before taking a sip of his scotch.

"Now to unleash my secret weapon. May I introduce to you the one, the only, Olivia Pope." Cameron announced and Fitz stopped breathing. The rest of the crowed cheered and applauded. After few seconds, a slightly shocked looking Cassie stroked his arm. He wanted to ask, but could tell by the look on her face that she had no idea she would be here.

"Thank you Mr Cowan, I will do my best to show Florida who you are, and get you elected." Olivia said as she took to the stage. She hated being called up on stage, but he had put her on the spot. She stood on the stage and observed the crowed with a smile until her eyes landed on one set in particular. He had a beard, his hair was lighter, and he had green eyes, but there he was, in the flesh, after 15 years, Fitz.

As Cameron spoke again into the microphone she stepped aside. She didn't hear anything else that Cameron said after that as she stepped down from the stage. Once Cameron finished his speech she greeted a few people who were excited to meet her before she excused herself to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror in disbelief for a while before she exited the bathroom.

She thought that perhaps she needed to get some fresh air to clear her head, so she decided not to go straight back to the party. She followed the corrirdor around, hoping to find an exit when she saw him, seemingly having the same idea as she. There was a sheer curtain obscuring her view slightly but she could feel it was him, and could recognise the hunched over back as he leant against a railing. She opened the door that lead outside.

"Fitz." She whispered and couldn't help but smile. One word she didn't know if she would ever utter again. She saw him tense, then she realised. "Or should I say Thomas."

He turned his head to catch a glimpse, to make sure it was really her, but of course it was, he could feel her.

"Long time, no see." She said resting her hand on the same railing as Fitz.

"Or speak." Fitz replied.

"How have you been?" Olivia asked cordially.

"Good thank you. What about you?" Fitz answered.

"Pretty good thank you." Olivia replied. There was silence. "Did you know that Teddy came to see me a couple of weeks ago?"

"I did." Fitz answered.

"Did he speak to you about it. I'm not sure I could answer all his questions." She spoke.

"He did. 'Show Florida who you are' huh?" Fitz said straightening up and turning to face her. "Real original." He said snidely.

"I honestly had no idea you would be here. I'm sorry if I have upset you. I think I will leave you…" She went to move away from the railing when Cassie came through the door.

"Olivia, how nice to see you again." She said as she walked up to Fitz, wrapping and arm around his waist, and resting the other on his chest. Olivia glanced as her hand on his chest before looking back at her.

"Cassie Cowan. Now I understand." Olivia said glancing between Fitz and Cassie.

"How have you been Cassie? What are you up to?" Olivia asked, actually interested.

"Im great actually. I have been lecturing for the last few year. I really quite enjoy it." Cassie said.

"That's great. Well, I should probably go back in there and mingle. It was nice seeing you both again." She said and turned and walked back into the building.

"I just came to check on you. Are you ok?" Cassie asked.

"I'm fine." Fitz said in a tone that was not at all convincing.

"Ok, well, come find me for a dance soon?" She asked hopefully, as she really had been looking forward to that part of the night the most.

"Yeah." He said and she kissed his cheek before following Olivia into the building.

He stood out there for another 10 minutes or so before returning to the party. He found Cassie quickly and invited her to dance. He was comforted slightly by their closeness as they moved slowly around the room. A few songs later an older man asked to cut in, and when Cassie gave him the signal to say it was ok, he took his leave and headed for the bar.

Once he had his drink he sat down on a chair at a table in the back. He was watching Cassie until a sound filled his ears that drew him to the adjacent corner of the building. He saw Olivia sitting with a gentleman, she was smiling brightly. He watched them interact, honestly unable to look away, for a few minutes before Olivia's head turned and their eyes met. Neither could look away, it was as if the last 15 years never happened.

He didn't know how long they had been looking at each other when Cassie came over and blocked his sight of her. "Can I have my dancing partner back?" She asked. Fitz smiled at her, before downing his drink and standing up.

They danced for another 10 minutes before Cameron danced over to them and asked to cut in. In any other circumstance Cassie would have laughed and dropped Fitz easily, but Cameron's dancing partner made her pause. She dropped her hand from his, and slipped her hand down his back and around his waist. Cassie tried to give Fitz the look that he would give her when he was checking whether she was ok to dance with whoever was asking.

"Thomas, I'm sorry, I should introduce you to Olivia Pope." Cameron said.

"We have met." They both said at the same time.

"Oh really?" Cameron was surprised. "Where did you guys meet?"

"President Grant's Campaign." They both said at the same time.

"Wow, I didn't realise you were so interested in politics Thomas. Maybe you can help out with mine then." He said.

"I got out of politics more than a decade ago, but I'm happy to help out Cam."

"Cass?" Cameron held out his hand to her. Cassie looked at Fitz, he smiled, so she took Cam's hand and he whisked her away.

After a few moments of Fitz and Olivia standing next to one another awkwardly, Fitz offered Olivia his hand. She placed her hand in his and they were both stunned by the static shock that zapped between them. They were both intelligent enough to recognise that it static electricity that moved between them, but the timing was curious.

After the static electricity pause the two moved closer to one another and began dancing. Fitz placed his hand gently on her waist. He was taken back to the state dinner in which they were fighting. He was thankful that her dress tonight, unlike that night, had a back, which meant skin on skin contact was limited to their hands.

Fitz had been walking around like a zombie for the last week, since Cameron's dinner. He was no longer angry or sad, but what exactly he was feeling was unclear. He spent time staring off into the distance, but he didn't look sad and he was sleeping.

He was sitting down on the porch drinking his morning coffee when Cassie came to say goodbye.

"I am heading off." She said before she sat down next to Fitz.

"Ok, see you tonight." Fitz said as he leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"I'll be back next Friday." Cassie answered.

"I didn't realise you were going away." He said honestly.

"I'm going to Jackson to see Claudia." Cassie said.

"Is everything ok?" Fitz asked.

"That's up to you Fitz." Cassie answered.

"What are you talking about?" Fitz asked.

"I am going to give you some space, so that you can make a decision about Olivia."

"What do you mean?" Fitz asked confused. Cassie repositioned herself on the chair next to him.

"I remember when Olivia declared she was your mistress. They raked her through the coals, they called her everything under the sun, they attacked her personally and professionally. I couldn't understand why she was letting them do that to her. The Olivia Pope I knew would fight back. It wasn't until this one interview that I understood. She said 'don't ask me to fall out of love with Fitzgerald Grant, because if I could I would.' And from your behavior since Theo came back from visiting her, I think you feel the same about her." She paused. "I love you Tom, I really do, but you aren't Tom anymore."

"I'm not me anymore?"

"You are Fitz. I called you Fitz 2 minutes ago and you didn't even notice, and you havn't been responding to Tom all week. You are Fitz, and Fitz is in love with Olivia Pope, and that is ok. I knew that going in. So, while I'm away, I want you to have a serious think about how you want to move forward. I am giving you an out. If you want to be with Olivia, I won't hold you back. I wont make a big fuss."

"Cassie…." Fitz said. He didn't know what else to say though.

"Just think about it. I will see you in a week." She said and she kissed his lips gently. He stood up and followed her to the front door. He helped her with her bag and waved her goodbye.


	5. Chapter 5

**_I had a couple of questions about why noone recognised Fitz. In my head he dyed his hair(now greying), grew a beard and had his green contact lenses in. When people asked, he claimed he was a cousin. I didn't really explain any of that, so my appologies._**

 ** _Also, I expect he would have one Secret Service agent, based on his distance in time and association from the White House._**

Olivia was spending a rare weekend at home after she agreed to run Cameron's campaign. She was enjoying the mental stimulation of the campaign, but he was certainly no Fitz. He had the passion to do good, but was missing a passion for people themselves, and while she could manufacture that, because she was Olivia Pope, it didn't feel as organic as Fitz.

Fitz…She had managed to avoid thinking much about him since Mellie had left office. It wasn't because she didn't care at all, she had had moments that she wanted to call Mellie to ask how he was, or to get his number, but she had always figured that he had moved on, which she can see now he had.

She was sitting in a rocking chair at the front of the house thinking about the last time she had seen him when a figure began approaching from the front gates. She thought it was Huck, however as they approached she could tell it wasn't. With each step her heart sped up. She knew that walk. She stood up from her chair and debated whether or not to approach him, and deciding against it.

When he was 30ft away they made eye contact and smiled cautiously at one another. The final approach felt like it was in slow motion. They each looked the other up and down, curiously. Fitz stopped about 2ft from her. They were both quiet for a moment befoer Olivia broke the silence.

"Hi." She said smiling.

"Hi." He reciprocated. Another moment or so passed in silence before Olivia spoke again.

"Wh..What are you doing here?"

"Just picking up a book I left here." He said and he was slightly satisfied by the twitch in the left side of her lip that that he knew meant she was disappointed, and knowing that he could still read her. "Actually I came to talk. Can we go inside?"

"Of course." Olivia said motioning to the front door. "Teddy said you lived here after your term was over. How didn't I know that?" She asked.

"Nobody did." Fitz answered simply as they crossed the threshold. As they walked inside, Fitz noticed subtle changes from the last time he was here. Every single one of them perfect. A painting here, a rug there. They continued through to the fireplace.

"Can I get you a drink?" Olivia asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Just water, thanks." He answered as he walked to the back window. He stood and observed the expansive landscape beyond.

A couple of minutes later Olivia came over with his water in one hand, a tea for herself in the other. She stood beside him and extended her hand with his water towards him. She watched his face as he took it from her, took a sip and looked back out the window. She turned towards the coffee table, placed her tea down, and found a spot on the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Olivia asked.

Fitz turned from the window and smiled at her, finding a spot across from her and placing his own water on the table between them.

"Why didn't we try harder?" He asked softly, not able to quite make eye contact.

"We tried pretty hard Fitz." Was Olivia's first instinct.

"Did we? Once my term was over, we didn't try at all."

"It was complicated. I was Mellie's Chief of Staff. You were here with Teddy, trying to be normal. I don't know how it would have worked."

"It would be you and me here now." He said slowly walking towards her.

"Fitz, we can't change what has happened."

"No. But we can change what will happen." He placed his water next to her tea and sat down next to her, not too close.

"What do you mean?" Her heart starting to pound faster.

"Livvie, you are the love of my life. I still love you. Lets make this work." He said placing a hand on her knee.

"Are you serious? What about Cassie?" She said almost in a panic.

Fitz scooted closer to Olivia and picked up her hand in his. "She said I wasn't Tom anymore. She was right. I became Tom when I lost you, it was the only way I could tell myself I could move on. I have been Fitz since Theo came to visit you and I want to be Fitz again. I want to be Fitz again with you, Livvie." He said so passionately that Olivia wanted to cry.

Emotionally, Olivia was a woman of few words, so she did what she knew would convey her emotions most effectively, she kissed him. She placed one hand at the nape of his neck and brought him closer slowly untill their lips touched. It was a gentle kiss, but it took both their breaths away. They pulled away slightly, to catch their breaths. They pressed their foreheads together and basked in the presence one another. The were silent for a moment before they both let out a chuckle and broke apart slightly.

Oliva rested her head against the back of the couch and Fitz slowly followe suit. They looked at one another more thoroughly, re-acquanting themselves with one another. Olivia lifted her hand to Fitz face and brushed the back of her hand against his cheek softly, before sweeping that hand into his hair and tucking it behind his ear.

"Time has been good to you." She said with a smile.

"You havn't aged a bit." He replied. He began to lean in to kiss her again but she backed away, placing a hand on his chest.

"We have always used our physical connection as an excuse to not talk more. I think if we have any chance, we need to talk." She said quickly and nervously, but Fitz nodded.

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **On holidays for a week from now, may or may not write any more during that time.**

 **I don't think this story has a huge number of chapters, so I don't know how many more to go.**

 **Re my other story 'Friends', only a few more chapters on that I think...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy!**

They walked across the expansive property, quietly, hand in hand. They walked through the orchard until they arrived at a small white pergola

on the other side. Oliva led Fitz up the stairs before removing her hand from his.

"Can I go first?" Olivia asked.

"Of course." Fitz said eagerly.

"I know you know about the abortion. I didn't do it easily, but I wasn't ready. Can you forgive me for the abortion, for killing another one of your children?" She asked unable to make eye contact.

"Firstly, the actions of our parents does not define us. I don't hold the actions of your father against you, just like I hope you wouldn't hold the actions of mine against me." He paused to breath.

"And secondly, yes, I can forgive you. I did that about an hour after I found out about it." He said casually, stunning Olivia who looked up at him in disbeleif.

"But you wanted a baby with me, you said so a number of times, and I couldn't give you what you wanted."

"The funny thing is Liv, all I wanted was you. Nothing would have made me happier than a baby with you, except having you. I could live out my life going to bed and waking up next to you. That was all I wanted." He said so beautifully that it litterally took Olivia's breath away.

"All this time, I thought you could never look at me the same. I thought we could never move past that." Olivia said becoming emotional, as if the life she could have lead if she knew this was flashing before her.

"I thought that it was my punishment, for not loving you openly enough, that you didn't want to bring a child into the world who wouldn't be loved how they deserved." Fitz looked at his feet.

"I never doubted the love you could have given our child Fitz, I have see how much you love Jerry, Karen and Teddy. I doubted my ability to love that child, when I couldn't even love myself." She said truthfully. This was a realisation that had taken years to evolve.

"I'm so sorry Livvie. I wish I had just thrown in the towel when we met." Fitz turned to look at her. He too could see the life they would have lived in different circumstanes.

"And you wouldn't have lived the life you were meant to." This was a concept Olivia thought of many times in their tumultuous relationship. Every time, she came back to the same realisation. The country needed him.

Fitz sighed, she was right. He would have felt unfullfilled being so close to the precipice and not reaching it, although he had been so convinced at the time that he wouldn't.

The silence gave them time to accept that there are no do-overs, this is their life, for all the ups and downs, but what they decide now will decide the course of the rest of their lives.

"It's getting a little chilly out here. Lets go back to the house." Fitz said standing and reaching out for Olivia's hand. She took it and they walked back to the house. They walked quietly. Olivia broke the silence about halfway back.

"So where to from here?" She asked.

"I need to go see Cassie, and when I get back we can start again. What do you say?" Fitz asked hopefull.

"I say, yes." She said and she felt Fitz stop walking and pulled her towards him. He gently pulled her into his body, releasing her hand to place it on her back. His other hand on the side of her face. She looked up at him and her nose brushed against his. A second later their lips touched tenderly, barely pursing. Olivia's tounge poked out slightly, causing Fitz to pull back.

"Your such a tease." Olivia joked. Fitz didn't laugh.

"That was a kiss to seal the deal. The next time I taste you, the only person or thing I will belong to, is you." He said seriously. Olivia blushed at the touble ententre. Fitz tucked a peice of hair behind Olivia's ear before heading off towards the house again.

He wasn't wasting any time about going to see Cassie, arranging to depart not long after they got back to the house. Olivia was surprise by how calm she felt about it. When arragements were made, they walked to the front door and said goodbye. Removing the temptation to kiss her, he skissed her forehead and settled on a hug.

"I'll see you very soon." He said, leaving no doubt in her mind that she would.

 **Please review!**


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